Wednesday, October 31

The weather in the Johnstown area at the beginning of the week was a lot less scary than predicted. However, that did not stop Jacob's school from canceling on Tuesday. I still don't understand that decision. I'm thinking we should worry less about what they think might happen and worry more about what actually happens. The liquor stores throughout the state were closed, too. Yet another decision I don't understand--it's not like the storm affected the entire state. At any rate, I was pleased that our electricity stayed on for the duration at both the house and the office.

Sunday, October 28

Brian suggested this movie for Family Movie Night and I have to say, it was enjoyed by all. A lot of times older movies just don't hold up, but this one did a pretty good job. And, the future star power was dazzling (Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Tom Cruise, Diane Lane).

Yesterday, Brian and I started installing the security camera system we bought for the office. We've been wanting to do this ever since the FU incident, but it seems like there is always something else to spend our money on (like payroll). We bought the cameras in the summer, but had to wait for it to cool down a bit because Brian has to crawl around in the attic to install the cabling for the cameras and it's really hot up there.

So, we (when I say "we", I mean Brian--as this was mostly a one-man job) got the outlet for the DVR installed, along with two of the interior cameras. We have two interior cameras to go (which should be fairly straightforward) and four exterior cameras (which should be a total pain in the ass). Not sure when all of this is going to get done, but we'll just have to chip away at it on the weekends (weather permitting for the exterior cameras) until it's done.

Thursday, October 25

This looked to be one of the last nice days of the year, so I took the day off in order to wrap up some things outside. I washed both motorcycles and both cars (I had to run to the office after lunch to swap vehicles) and touched up the rear bumper on my Highlander with some automotive spray paint (primer, paint and clear coat if you want to get specific). In between coats of paint, I raked all of the leaves in the back yard and put them in the compost pile.

After lunch, I took a well-deserved nap (yet I am still tired--I guess manual labor does not agree with me). After the nap, I went back outside and cleaned out the shed (so that we can put the motorcycles away before the big snow storm hits next week) and I rerouted two of our downspouts, one of which was connected to the sewer system and the other of which was connected directly to my rain barrel--I added a diverter to it so that when the rain barrel is full, the water will go through the downspout instead of draining through the overflow tube on the rain barrel. Nothing but fun for me today.

The rest of the evening, I'm just going to sit on the couch and watch tv, then read. Oh, and have a drink.

Wednesday, October 24

Another one from Lisa Scottoline's Bennie Rosato series. However, Bennie Rosato was mysteriously missing from this book. Instead, the story centered around one of her associates, Mary DiNunzio. It was a pretty good book--it was about a man who confesses to his wife's murder because he thought his daughter committed the crime and he was trying to protect her. But things aren't as they seem. Dun-dun-dun!

Saturday, October 20

This movie started as a fake movie trailer for the Grindhouse films. Apparently the trailer garnered enough interested that the director decided to turn it into a movie. It was definitely entertaining, though not for the faint of heart. On the other hand, the violence was so extreme, it was almost comical in nature. I will definitely watch the upcoming sequel, Machete Kills.

Thursday, October 18

I am so sick of all of the roadwork that has been going on all spring and summer that I'm actually looking forward to winter this year, just so I can get from point A to point B without having to take a detour.

The worst of it is the sewer line project they are doing in Ferndale. Single lane roads were the norm all summer, but they've taken it a step further and the intersection at Goucher and Franklin Streets has been closed for a couple of weeks. There's a way around that, too, but even it was closed earlier this week. So, instead, we've been driving past the hospital (which always has a lot of traffic) to get to work. The project was supposed to be done by now, but yet it isn't.

Plus, up by our house, they are putting in sidewalks along Goucher Street. Again with the single lane roads. It wasn't too bad until last week when they started working at the end of our street. This project isn't supposed to be done until next month, but I think it might finish up before the Ferndale one does.

Monday, October 15

Sunday was a busy day. I started off the morning with a run (Did I mention I'm running now? It's not very far--I just go around the block twice, which is one mile, and I'm doing more walking than running at this point but it's a start). Later in the morning, Brian and I got our flu shots. (And now my shoulder is killing me. Thanks, flu shot!) We also hit Ace Hardware to pick up some parts for the afternoon's rental improvement project.

The weather was nice yesterday afternoon, so I took the opportunity to clean out the garden and plant the garlic while Brian was at band practice. After that, it would have been a great day for a motorcycle ride, but we had to go to our rental property to take care of a few minor issues. Seeing that our motorcycles don't pay us hundreds of dollars a month, sometimes other things have to take precedence.

The evening was topped off with the season three opener for The Walking Dead. And, a store-bought bottle of zinfandel. Plus, the Steelers didn't lose. All in all, not a bad day.

Sunday, October 14

We finally got to meet our niece Juliet yesterday. She's nearly three months old now and is a sweetie. Brian's sister and the kids came in for the weekend so my in-laws had a family get-together yesterday afternoon/evening. We got to see some of Brian's relatives that we haven't seen in a while, so it was good to get caught up with everyone. Jake ended up staying the night. It's nice that he gets to hang out with his cousins frequently even though they all--with the exception of Erika--live in NY.

Saturday, October 13

I don't always watch horror movies, but when I do, I watch them in October.

I'm not a big horror fan, but it only seems appropriate to watch some horror movies around Halloween. We watched this movie last night and I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it. But, this is not your typical horror movie. For one, it had some really funny lines going on throughout the movie--I like a non-comedy with some humor. And, the main twist (leading up to the end of the story) was quite good--you'll never see it coming. I am less enamored with the very end, but I guess it works. Also, if you are going to watch this do not research it first--that will ruin the surprises (and there are a few).

Sunday, October 7

Much like the first two movies in the series, this was fun to watch. Though, I am sensing a trend here--all of the movies are basically the same (people videotaping what goes on at their house; main characters dying at the end; etc.). Still, pretty creepy. We'll be watching Paranormal Activity 4 once it comes out on DVD.

Thursday, October 4

The leaves are starting to fall (in particular, into the pond), so I spent today's last 30 minutes of daylight covering the pond with netting. The weather has been decent, so I haven't turned off the pump yet, but given the cooler extended forecast, that will be happening soon.

I still have a few things that need to be done outside, but it's getting difficult to accomplish anything during the week since it's getting dark so early. Hopefully I will be able to catch a half decent day one of the remaining weekends in October, though things aren't looking good for this weekend.